inspires you to find out more

Rating: 8/10 (5 June 2007)

As i write this, it's about 12:30am in France. Just shy of 65 years ago, some British guys were gliding into France to capture some bridges. Hitler slept soundly, unaware of the brutal weight now bearing down on Germany.
This film is one to watch, as it opens up a great swathe of WWII history, and inspires one to learn more about those days. The film watches almost like a novel, in chapters, and skipping around different POVs German, American, French. Yes it is a "victory march", but it was 1961 when it was filmed. The US had emerged as a great new power in the world and they wanted to celebrate. There ARE German viewpoints written and filmed about these events that one can track down that DO tell a different story, but that doesn't mean this one is not as accurate as they could make it at the time. Popular history, as they say, is indeed written by the victors.
A great book to read, that in a strange way complements this film, is Stephen E Ambrose's "Pegasus Bridge". It's a remarkably exciting and well written account of the British glider assault depicted, from memory, about 40 minutes into the film, that began just after midnight on June 6.
This film is an entertaining and enthralling 2 and a half hours well spent. On this day I think I'll put on the Longest Day, and raise a glass to all those, but especially those young British guys who, at ages younger than myself, volunteered to be the first to touch ground in Fortress Europe. I can only begin to imagine their bravery.